Heartbroken parents who lost
their baby in an exclusive private hospital when he suffered catastrophically and
‘preventable’ brain injuries have been awarded benefits.
Diane and Andreas Kolbe, from
West London, paid £15,000 for Diane to give birth at The Portland Hospital,
where Meghan Markle had given birth to her son Archie a few months earlier.
Andreas, 43, a banking
investment analyst, and French teacher Diane, 37, had opted for an inductive
birth after complications during the delivery of their first child, Louis in
Portland in 2016.
Baby Raphael suffered a catastrophic brain injury after medics failed to notice there was no trace of a
heartbeat
“It was considered safer to
have a planned release because Louis had been large and difficult to deliver.
We didn’t expect any problems with induced labor,” Diane said.
The couple said they were
“relaxed” ahead of the birth of second son Raphael on August 9, 2019.
But at 3 a.m. that afternoon,
a heart monitor intended to be attached to his mother’s abdomen was removed for
30 minutes by an obstetrician with 20 years of experience.
When it was reattached, there
was no trace of baby Raphael’s heartbeat.
During that time, his body had
prolapsed against his umbilical cord, cutting off the crucial oxygen supply to
his brain.
Mr Kolbe said: ‘Later we
remembered what the midwife had said about being able to deliver babies with
her eyes closed. It was a strange statement to make and it clearly wasn’t the
case.
Diane and Andreas Kolbe opted
for an artificial birth after complications during the delivery of their first
child Louis at The Portland in 2016
“Raphael should have been
watched continuously. And if it couldn’t be done with a belt in place, then a
portable device should have been used.”
The cardiotocography (CTG)
band was removed around the time an anesthesiologist came to move Ms. Kolbe’s
epidural pain management line.
Minutes later, the baby was
delivered lifeless before being resuscitated and rushed to the hospital’s
neonatal intensive care unit, where staff refrigerated Raphael to reduce brain
damage caused by the oxygen starvation.
He was then rushed to the
neonatal ward of the NHS Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where scans
confirmed severe brain damage.
The couple were informed that
Raphael, who was born full-term with a weight of three and a half kilos, would
die shortly after the life support was removed.
Private Portland Hospital in
London’s West End is a favorite with celebrities and royals alike
